Wednesday, February 27, 2019

Bull - Forfeiture


Tensions run high as Chunk (Chris Jackson) takes on his first case in defending a young man (Astro) facing up to a decade in prison for selling knock-offs out of the back of his grandfather's (Ben Vereen) barbershop while Benny (Freddy Rodríguez) represents the grandfather whose shop has been seized by the FBI. Despite the counsel offered by Bull (Michael Weatherly) and Benny, Chunk takes a risky defensive strategy admitting his client's guilt but only because the FBI entrapped him into committing a crime he would not have sought out on his own. With two cases and lawyers not on the same page, "Forfeiture" provides a solid episode fueled by Chunk's passion and indignation at what was done to his client in the name of justice (something he proves more than capable of helping the jury see as well). Vareen steals a few minutes as well including the grandfather's testimony on the stand for his grandson while ignoring what possible damage it might mean to his own case.

Uncanny X-Men #12


The X-Men are gone. Long live the X-Men. It doesn't take Cyclops and Wolverine long to put together the core of a new team as Scott follows Logan's plan to break into a O.N.E. government facility and extract the mutants being held prisoner and experimented on (including being used to power a new form of Sentinel).

The Wild Storm #20


Where many of the previous issues of The Wild Storm have been focused on introducing a large assortment of characters and lining up various storylines, The Wild Storm #20 has one clear objective: to show off the badassery of Apollo and Midnighter. It's extremely successful.

Tuesday, February 26, 2019

Shadowhunters - Lost Souls


Shadowhunters returns with both Jace (Dominic Sherwood) and Simon (Alberto Rosende) separately struggling with the apparent loss of Clary (Katherine McNamara), meanwhile the not-so-dead Clary awakes to find herself the captive of Jonathan (Luke Baines) in his teleporting house. With each of Clary's beaus contemplating suicide while struggling to move on with out her, Clary herself learns just how connected she is to her reborn brother when attempting to commit fratricide. Setting up threads for multiple characters, the show's return works in new struggles for Clary while lining up separate quests for her friends.

Legacies - We're Gonna Need a Spotlight


"We're Gonna Need a Spotlight" offers a twist as the latest magical creature to be drawn to a mystical artifact at the Salvatore Boarding School for the Young & Gifted turns out to be a harmless unicorn. However, the mind-warm parasite which hitched a ride on the magical horse turns out to be any but as it infects several of the students starting with Hope Mikaelson (Danielle Rose Russell), slowly lowering their inhibitions until they might become susceptible to removing the Malivore artifact from the school. The conveniently-timed school talent show allows for a humorous backdrop pushing the characters outside their normal comfort zone as well (and allows for an excuse for the headmaster to be absent as things start going crazy).

Super Heroes Card Trader - Awesome Pack 12


For more super-heroes check out Super-Hero Pack 1, Pack 2, Pack 3, Pack 4, Pack 5, Pack 6, Pack 7, Pack 8, Pack 9, Pack 10, Pack 11, Team-Up Pack 1, Wonder Woman Pack 1, Green Lantern Pack 1, Black Cat Pack 1, Pack 2, Lara Croft Pack 1, Pack 2, Pack 3, Spidey Pack 1, Pack 2, Deadpool Pack 1, Harley Quinn Pack 1, Pack 2, Pack 3, Pack 4, Pack 5, Birds of Prey Pack 1, Pack 2, Memorial Day Pack 1, X-Men Pack 1, and the X-Mas Mega Pack 1 and Mega Pack 2.

Monday, February 25, 2019

Cosplayer of the Week - Sara Moni


Sara Moni is a cosplayer from Phoenix, Arizona with a wide variety of cosplay from comics, to anime, to television and film. She also makes completely original characters as well (often asking for fan input). Follow her on Tumblr, Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.

Thursday, February 21, 2019

How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World


2010's How to Train Your Dragon was a fun film about an awkward Viking prince and his unexpected relationship with the most dangerous creature possible: a dragon. An enjoyable coming-of-age tale featuring dragons and Vikings and centered around the awkward relationships between a boy and his father and that same boy's relationship to his dog (errr... dragon), the movie spawned a sequel, which was even better than the original, and a television show. With How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World, Dean DeBlois returns to write and direct the final chapter to Hiccup's (Jay Baruchel) story (at least for now).

The Umbrella Academy - Run Boy Run / Extra Ordinary


"Run Boy Run" and "Extra Ordinary" build on individual stories as Number 5 (Aidan Gallagher) begins an investigation into the single clue he has about the apocalypse to come, leading to a humorous team-up with Klaus (Robert Sheehan) who uses unorthodox methods to get the information his brother wants, Vanya (Ellen Page) begins opening herself up to a new student (John Magaro) while the rest of the world continues to negatively reinforce just how unspecial she is, Luther (Tom Hopper) continues to look into his father's death, and assassins Cha Cha (Mary J. Blige) and Hazel (Cameron Britton) begin their search for Number 5.

Wednesday, February 20, 2019

THIS IS PAX SOUTH: COSPLAY MUSIC VIDEO REWIND

Atomic Robo & the Dawn of a New Era #2


With the grown-ups gone, and Robo down in the basement with his secret project, it falls on Foley to get the new Action Scientist recruits up to speed. Atomic Robo & the Dawn of a New Era #2 jumps around a bit, keeping us up to date on the status of the various characters.

Baby Driver Visual Remix (Vinnie Maniscalo - Takillya)

Tuesday, February 19, 2019

Detective Comics #998


Batman's investigation into the recent attacks on the close allies of both Batman and Bruce Wayne leads him down another false path as the Dark Knight Detective confronts Dr. Hugo Strange (who is intrigued by, but innocent of, the accusation Batman lays at his feet). And when another friend is attacked by the bizarre monster, Batman will go to great lengths to make sure it doesn't do any more harm.

Detective Comics #998 is most notable for Batman donning the Hellbat armor to save the Demon from an attack. The attack also seems to imply that there is some kind of mystical, and not just monstrous, force behind the recent attack on Batman's friends.

Carmen Sandiego - The Duke of Vermeer Caper


Both Carmen (Gina Rodriguez) and A.C.M.E. begin investigating the theft of Vermeer paintings. For Carmen that means heading to Amsterdam to the Rijk Museum to steal the only remaining painting while disguised as The Duchess hoping to use the stolen painting to draw out V.I.L.E. and retrieve the other stolen artwork. Through a bit of bad timing and misfortune, however, it's up to Zack (Michael Hawley) to step in as the Duke of Vermeer forcing Carmen to give her assistant the crash course version of My Fair Lady so he can complete the sale and provide a distraction long enough for Carmen to recover the rest of the paintings. The episode relies quite a bit on Zack, a little too much as there seem to be more than enough clues to give him away to V.I.L.E. Still, the stolen artwork and Carmen's quick work and stealing them back before Zack blows his cover provides a fair amount of tension.

Hendo Art - Venom vs. Spider-Man: Valentine's Day Special

Monday, February 18, 2019

Hawaii Five-0 - Ho'opio 'ia e ka noho ali'i a ka ua


The arrival of a hurricane crates dangerous situations for most members of Five-0. While Tani (Meaghan Rath) and Junior (Beulah Koale) are tasked with helping with the evacuation, a duty which will lead Tani into trouble when trying to convince a family from leaving their home, the Iolani Palace is tasked with being a shelter for those running from the storm which gets more complicated by the arrival of the FBI and their prisoner (Raoul Trujillo) who is known for his prison escapes. The only member of Five-0 not to have a stressful night is Danny (Scott Caan) who gives shelter to Rachel (Claire van der Boom) and Charlie (Zach Sulzbach) during the storm.

G.I. JOE: A Real American Hero #259


The first several pages of G.I. JOE: A Real American Hero #259 cover the fallout from last month's issue which saw a temporary team-up between the JOEs and Cobra which leaves heavy damage in Springfield and one JOE in serious threat of loosing a limb. Usually the JOEs are up for any fight, but for Sightline the cost of the team's temporary truce with Cobra will be high.

The Dragon Prince - Book Two: Sky


The Second Season of The Dragon Prince continues the journey of the human princes Callum (Jack De Sena) and Ezran (Sasha Rojen) and their new Elven friend Rayla (Paula Burrows) to return the newly hatched Dragon Prince to his mother. Much like The Lord of the Rings, the fellowship's journey stretches long and wide, but there's plenty of character developement along the way as Callum attempts to find a way to access primal magic without a stone, Ezran attempts to teach the baby dragon to fly, and Rayla puts aside her fear of water for a voyage on a boat with a blind sea captain suffering from narcolepsy.

Super-Heroes Card Trader - Black Cat Awesome Pack 2


For more super-heroes check out Super-Hero Pack 1, Pack 2, Pack 3, Pack 4, Pack 5, Pack 6, Pack 7, Pack 8, Pack 9, Pack 10, Pack 11, Team-Up Pack 1, Wonder Woman Pack 1, Green Lantern Pack 1, Black Cat Pack 1, Lara Croft Pack 1, Pack 2, Pack 3, Spidey Pack 1, Pack 2, Deadpool Pack 1, Harley Quinn Pack 1, Pack 2, Pack 3, Pack 4, Pack 5, Birds of Prey Pack 1, Pack 2, Memorial Day Pack 1, X-Men Pack 1, and the X-Mas Mega Pack 1 and Mega Pack 2.

Friday, February 15, 2019

The Umbrella Academy - We Only See Each Other at Weddings and Funerals


Based on the opening mini-series of the comic of the same name by Gerard Way and Gabriel Bá, Netflix's The Umbrella Academy begins with the reunion of a dysfunctional family due the passing of their adopted father (Colm Feore). What makes this family so unique is the father was a eccentric scientist who adopted seven children, all of who were born on the same day to separate mothers all over the world who each experienced spontaneous pregnancy, not out of any love or philanthropy but out of scientific curiosity. As children, the group were turned into heroes he believed were destined to save the world. "We Only See Each Other at Weddings and Funerals" offers a solid introduction to the comic's opening (and best) arc, involving the return of the lost member of the team (Aidan Gallagher) who reappears still in the form of a 13 year-old but who has lived for decades after becoming stuck in a post-apocalyptic future.

Alita: Battle Angel

With an interesting character and set-up, but far too much plot for a single film that feels rushed at times while still getting nowhere close to a definitive ending before the credits roll, Alita: Battle Angel is a mixed success. Adapted by director Robert Rodriguez along with James Cameron and Laeta Kalogridis from a manga series, it was no surprise to me that Cameron orginally saw this as a television project rather than a feature film.

The opening where an apparently worthless robot is found in a junkyard only to be revealed as the best warrior ever reminded me more than a little of Real Steel. The junkyard treasure here is a cyborg (Rosa Salazar) who Dr. Dyson Ido (Christoph Waltz) will find, repair, and name after his daughter Alita. Despite her innocent appearance, Alita proves to quite formidable. As with many recent sci-fi films, Alita: Battle Angel has a strong class warfare aspect as all those we meet are living in the dystopian slums with a privileged class living high above in a floating city. Over the course of the film Alita will begin to remember fragments of her past leading her into conflict with the overseer in the skies above.

Thursday, February 14, 2019

Wednesday, February 13, 2019

The Flash - Cause and XS


In "Cause and XS" The Flash revisits the idea of timeloops and altering the past. For one hour Barry (Grant Gustin) enters the Speed Force in order to speed up Cisco's (Carlos Valdes) meta-human cure. However, this leaves the rest of the team vulnerable to Cicada's (Chris Klein) attack. Despite doing her best, Nora (Jessica Parker Kennedy) watches someone close to her stabbed to death with the super-villain's dagger no matter what changes she attempts to make to events by traveling back an hour to set things right. Only Cisco's minor vibes clue him in that something odd is going on as the episode offers a few different awkward first dates with Kamilla (Victoria Park) in the sequences set to provide the lighter moments in contrast to the large amount of death Nora is incapable of stopping.

Arrow - Star City Slayer


There are definitely pieces that work in "Star City Slayer" but also just as much that will likely frustrate fans of the show. With a large portion of the episode set aside to deal with William's (Jack Moore) return, it becomes obvious fairly quickly how the character has been mismanaged up to this point. Not fitting into the show's larger plans, the only available option is to ship him off to his grandparents while a villain's attack helps convince Oliver (Stephen Amell) that it might be for the best (and help explain his disconnect to the city and his family in the future plotline). And for that villain, Stanley Dover (Brendan Fletcher) returns as the killer threatening Oliver's friends in a crazy attempt to reconnect with his former prison buddy. Dover actually works fairly well here, especially with the addition of his paralyzing agent that leaves his victims completely at the mad man's mercy.

Red Sonja #1


Believing the prophecy that the day when his empire stops expanding he will die, Dragan the Magnificent has set his eyes on Hyrkania where a weary traveller known as Red Sonja has just returned home to an unexpected welcome. Dynamite Entertainment relaunches the title bringing the She-Devil with a Sword home from her travels and battles to face a new foe who offers either death or slavery under his rule.

Tuesday, February 12, 2019

Young Justice #2


The second issue of Young Justice picks up with our young heroes transported to Gemworld. The primary story here is Wonder Girl starring down the barrel of Jinny Hex's shotgun, and forming a shaky truce. Wonder Girl's recent past is also explored here a bit, including her run-in with Zeus and explaining a bit about why Cassie was slow to initially join the fight that led the teen heroes to Gemworld.

That Cosplay Show - Comic-Con Best Cosplay 2018

Monday, February 11, 2019

Carmen Sandiego - The Fishy Doubloon Caper


"The Fishy Doubloon Caper" takes Carmen (Gina Rodriguez) to Ecuador in search of sunken treasure. Zack (Michael Hawley) and Ivy (Abby Trott) are along for the ride, providing assistance in helping Carmen stay one-step ahead of V.I.L.E. agents El Topo (Andrew Pifko) and Le Chèvre (Bernardo De Paula). Sadly, Zack proves less helpful at a fish auction when the trio try to reacquire the coin which has been swallowed by a local delicacy. Although still a bit awkward, the episode pulls back a little on Player's (Finn Wolfhard) explanation about the latest locale for Carmen as the show makes some improvements from the previous episode.

Iconic Cars in Movies Mashup

Cosplayer of the Week - Courtoon


Courtoon is a cosplayer and artist from California. You can follow her on Facebook, Instagram (and Instagram), YouTube, and deviantART. For more on her art, follow her on Instagram and Tumblr, and check out her official store.

Thursday, February 7, 2019

The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part

Even if it never quite recaptures the full magic of the original, it's hard to be disappointed with The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part which turns out to be a pretty darn good sequel. The second time around, there's plenty of zany awesomeness with the return of Emmet Brickowski (Chris Pratt), Lucy (Elizabeth Banks), and Batman (Will Arnett). And the script by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller also throws in a nice message for kids and families about sharing and acceptance and a new adventure which was foreshadowed at the end of the original LEGO Movie. Oh, and there's a spaceship piloted by Velociraptors.

The arrival of a dangerous new invader to the LEGO world (toys from the younger sister of the previous movie's mostly-unseen master of bricks) has pushed Emmett and his friends into a dystopian future (which produces one of the most interesting LEGO sets ever made). When Lucy, Batman, Unikitty (Alison Brie), MetalBeard (Nick Offerman), and Benny (Charlie Day) are abducted by an agent of Queen Watevra Wa'Nabi (Tiffany Haddish), it falls on Emmett and his new friend Rex Dangervest (also voiced by Pratt) to save the day.

Arrow - Emerald Archer


Several familiar faces return for Arrow's 150th episode presented as a documentary (featuring alternate takes and camera angles of clips from several episodes over the series runs) about Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell), vigilantes, and their role in Star City. Those returning include Quentin Lance (Paul Blackthorne), Sara Lance (Caity Lotz), Thea Queen (Willa Holland), Sin (Bex Taylor-Klaus), Barry (Grant Gustin), and Ragman (Joe Dinicol) who provide their own takes on Oliver and vigilantes along with interviews and sequences from the current cast of series regulars. And when Oliver puts himself in harm's way to be lure out the villain of the week, the episode even offers the return of Team Arrow. The documentary-style of much of the episode offers its strengths and weaknesses, but overall the episode turns out well (and we do get more regular scenes between characters when not in front of the documentary crew).

Uncanny X-Men #11


The future of the X-Men, as bleak as it looks, begins here. Uncanny X-Men #11 is a bit over-stuffed, telling the same story (Scott Summers' return from the grave and search for the missing X-Men) from three different perspectives. Cyclops gets the majority of the focus here, with Wolverine and Blind Ruth also getting several pages of back-up stories. In the end, the issue delivers what you want with Cyclops standing up the Avengers (who seem more concerned with protecting a hate rally than preventing genocide) and the two most famous X-Men coming together to lay waste to large group of human canon fodder.

Wednesday, February 6, 2019

Hendo Art's Spider-Gwen Cosplay Music Video

Bull - Prior Bad Acts

The death of Benny's (Freddy Rodríguez) father complicates matters given Bull's (Michael Weatherly) feelings for Benny's sister, and Bull's ex-wife (Yara Martinez), just when a wealthy client enlists the firm in looking into his brother's unexpected death due to a nitroglycerin overdose. While initially suspicious of the doctor who prescribed the medication, it quickly becomes obvious the far more alluring suspect is the victim's widow (Reiko Aylesworth) who has left a string of dead husbands in her wake (yet always seems to profit).

Monday, February 4, 2019

Cosplayer of the Week - Elizabeth Rage


Elizabeth Rage is a cosplayer and costume designer from Los Angeles, California. You can follow her on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. You can also support her on Pateron.